Nightmare
by Teigra05
Summary: Gajeel is plagued by nightmares of what he did to Levy when he was a member of Phantom Lord. This takes place after everything that happens on Tenrou island. Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me, they belong to Hiro Mashima.
1. Chapter 1

Gajeel woke from his sleep with a jerk, sitting up straight on his sleeping mat, a cold sweat dripping down his face and soaking his hair, his hands clenched into fists. He drew a hand across his eyes, growling deep in his throat. It was that damn dream again. Just when he thought he had it beat, it would come back with a vengeance after a job like this.

The cool, dawn breeze chilled his skin, calming him just a little. He was camped out in a small clearing in the woods just a couple hours walk outside Magnolia. He had gone on a job in a village on the coast of Fiore about a week ago to get rid of some members of a dark guild who were terrorizing the village and just stirring up trouble in general, some shit to do with reviving some ancient demon or something, he didn't pay much attention to the details.

He had just made it to the clearing the night before, so exhausted from their fight that he and Pantherlily had decided to make camp for the night and travel the remaining distance to Magnolia in the morning. And that's when the nightmare came.

It was always the same. A dark night near the river. Her terrified screams and pleas as she cried out in pain. A tree so enormous its topmost branches disappeared into the night sky. His fingers gliding across her smooth, white skin as he painted the Phantom Lord symbol on her flat stomach. He shuddered, growling again and digging his fingers into his skin, trying to force the memory from his mind.

Just then he heard a slight rustling and a loud yawn and turned his head to see Pantherlily walking over from his sleeping spot a few feet away, rubbing his eyes. "Awake already Gajeel?" the Exceed murmured sleepily. "Is everything okay?"

"Fine," Gajeel grumbled shortly. "I just want to get moving that's all."

Pantherlily raised an eyebrow, turned his head to look up between the branches of the trees where the sky was just beginning to lighten and shrugged his shoulders, knowing it was best not to question his gruff partner when he was in this kind of mood. They quickly packed up their campsite, and headed back towards the road to Magnolia.

The sun had risen just slightly above the horizon by the time they reached Fairy Tail. Even though it was still early, the guild was already bustling with activity. Gajeel, feeling slightly better after the walk back, headed towards the guild where the former S-Class mage Mirajane was polishing glasses with a demure smile on her lips.

Gajeel smirked to himself, knowing that behind that kind smile there hid a demon who you did not want to mess with. There wasn't much that scarred Gajeel, but Mira was one of the few things that did give him pause (though he would never admit it).

As he walked towards the bar, he was forced to dodge a tumbling mass of arms and legs that was Natsu and Gray in one of their normal fights. As they rolled past, Gajeel transformed his arm into his iron club and gave Natsu a heavy blow to the back of the head. Natsu whirled around, forgetting about Gray laying on the floor before him in nothing but his boxers. The fire dragon slayer began yelling and screaming insults at Gajeel as flames flew from his fists and mouth, trying to provoke the iron dragon slayer into a full on brawl. But Gajeel just smirked and let out his signature chuckle before continuing towards the bar to turn in the details of his mission, fully intending to pick a fight with Natsu later in the day.

He turned in the information to Mira and immediately ordered a beer, not caring about the early hour. As he sat at the bar enjoying his beer and observing the chaos that was Fairy Tail, a slight movement at the guild doors caught his eye.

It was her and her two groupies. He would recognize that head of wild blue hair anywhere. Though he could barely see it over the top of the rest of the guild. But he knew it was her, he would know that scent anywhere.

Suddenly, his dream came flashing back to him along with a tumble of other memories involving her. Her limp body crucified to the tree in Magnolia Park. Her focus and the determined set of her mouth as she worked to crack Freed's ruins during Fantasia. The look on her face when he offered to be her partner for the S-Class exams. The taste of her solid script iron. The warm feeling of her small hand in his as they stood with the rest of their guild to face Achnologia's wrath...

This was too much for him. He downed what was left of his beer and stood abruptly, causing the stool he had been sitting on to the floor with a clatter. The guild turned as the fierce dragon slayer stormed through their midst, shrinking back as to not incur his wrath. Even Natsu knew better than to challenge his fellow dragon slayer when he was like this. He could feel Levy's deep brown eyes following him, filled with anxiety for her guild-mate and friend.

He didn't stop. He had to get out of there. He stormed past Lily who was sitting with the other Exceeds Charle and Happy and growled, "I'm going to train," before slamming the guild doors shut with so much force that the building shook.


	2. Chapter 2

He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't really care. All he knew was that he had to get away from there and get that dream out of his head. He stormed through the streets of Magnolia, parting the crowds as he went.

He finally reached an empty clearing on the edge of town dotted here and there with trees and small boulders. He stood their panting for a moment, merely from the height of his emotions than his retreat across town. Then he quickly turned his arm into his iron club and smashed it against the nearest boulder, breaking it to gravel.

He grinned maniacally. Now that felt good. He spent the next few minutes slamming his club into anything unlucky enough to be within his reach. Within moments the beautiful clearing was littered with splinters from trees and small, sharp pieces of broken stone.

He was looking around to find his next target when his sharp ears picked up on a rustle in the bushes behind him. He spun around quickly, his club raised ready to pummel the person who dared to sneak up on him. He stopped short when he saw Levy's small form and wide, slightly shocked eyes, her hands raised up on either side of her head as if in surrender.

He lowered his club and released his magic, returning his arm and hand to normal. They stood there in an awkward silence for a moment before Gajeel grumbled, "What're ya doin' here Shrimp?"

She stepped towards him, lowering her arms and surveying the destruction of the clearing. "I followed you. I wanted to make sure you were okay," she said in her quiet, kind way that made his heart beat just a little faster. "You seemed...agitated when you left the guild."

"I'm fine," he replied gruffly, refusing to meet her eyes. "Just...just wanted to get a bit of training in is all."

He glanced up out of the corner of his eye to see her still scanning the clearing, her expression unreadable. "Okay," she said slowly, turning to look at him. "Then I'll train with you."

That statement shocked him enough that he looked up at her in surprise and confusion. "Huh?" he said lamely, still trying to process her previous statement.

"I'm going to train with you," she said brightly. "Come on Gajeel! You said before the S-Class exams that you were going to make me big. Well, you never really had a chance to fulfill that promise what with Grimoire Heart and Achnologia attacking. So why not try again now? Come on," she said taking a fighting position, her tiny hands curled into fists before her, grinning wickedly.

Gajeel stood staring at her for another moment before allowing the corners of his mouth to turn up in a wicked grin. "Gihi. Alright Shorty. But just remember, you asked for it."

Her grin widened and they flew at each other, Gajeel being careful to hold back on his blows. He knew Levy was strong, but he still knew that a strong blow from him could seriously injure her small body. They went back and forth, blow to blow, using both their magic and their fists being especially careful not to hurt the other in their mock fight.

Their fight had been going for awhile, neither of the combatants giving ground, when suddenly there was a loud rumbling and lightning split the sky. They both stopped short, taken by surprise. They day had been fairly warm and only a little cloudy up until now, they had been too caught up in their battle of wills to even notice the change in the weather. The next thing they knew, fat raindrops were falling from the sky, splashing against the ground and soaking the two mages.

Levy squealed and threw her hands over her head as if she expected them to keep the rain off, and then ran for the shelter of the nearest tree that had managed to escape Gajeel's rampage. The dragon slayer chuckled quietly to himself before running over to join her. They exchanged a sheepish grin, both dirty, exhausted, and soaking wet from their escapade, and then turned to watch the rain fall.

They stood under the shelter of the tree, saying nothing, for what must have been at least half an hour before Gajeel said, "Well, it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. My place isn't too far, why don't we head back there?" he noticed Levy shivering slightly. "You can take a shower and put on some dry clothes. You'll probably freeze to death otherwise."

Ignoring the jibe at her small size, Levy merely nodded, indicating that Gajeel should lead the way. They sprinted out into the rain, Gajeel already nearly leaving Levy behind with his long strides. Noticing this he pulled back slightly, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her along after him.

Despite how cold she was, Levy laughed and giggled as they ran through the downpour, her face upturned feeling the cool drops on her heated face. Gajeel glanced back over his shoulder watching her face light up as the rain hit her face. She looked so pure, so beautiful. He felt a slight blush creep across his cheeks and was thankful she couldn't see it.

It didn't take long for them to reach his place, a small little cottage at the very edge of town. Unimpressive and out of the way, it seemed just like the kind of place he would live, Levy thought to herself. He fiddled with the lock, struggling at first to get the key in, then flung the door open and pulled Levy inside slamming the door closed behind them.

The inside of his house was surprisingly spacious and very sparsely furnished. He had a small, beat-up couch, an iron coffee table and a small bookshelf with a small assortment of books upon its shelves.

"Wait here," Gajeel said roughly, releasing Levy's arm and heading towards the back of the house. Levy stood in the doorway shivering, admiring the cleanliness of the small house before wandering over to peruse Gajeel's book collection.

Moments later, Gajeel came back into the main room holding a towel and a black piece of cloth. "Gihi. Of course you would notice the books," he teased.

She blushed slightly and stuck her tongue out at him before grabbing the towel and the other piece of fabric from him. He only chuckled again and pointed her in the direction of the bathroom.


	3. Chapter 3

Alone in the bathroom, Levy removed her sopping clothes and, seeing nowhere decent to hang them so they could dry, dropped them with a "splat" on the floor. She hopped into the shower and just stood under the hot water for a few moments, waiting for her body to stop shaking. As she stood there, with nothing but her thoughts to occupy her, her mind began to wander to a certain iron dragon slayer.

Though during the majority of their mock fight, she had been too focused on not getting hit, or tripping, or embarrassing herself in some other way, she did know that it was probably the most time that they had spent alone together since Tenrou island. She had however, managed to take enough time, especially after the rain storm had hit, to take the time to "study" the gruff dragon slayer.

She felt a blush creep into her cheeks as she thought of the flexing of his well-toned muscles as they fought. The sheen on his skin, first from sweat and then from the rain. The way his body moved so gracefully while they were fighting, despite his size. His thick, luscious dark hair as it whipped around his face. And, of course, those deep red eyes...

Levy squeaked quietly and hid her face in her hands, though she knew no one could see her, her face a deep red. She quickly finished her shower, hoping that there was still enough hot water left for Gajeel, and hopped out of the tub drying herself with the towel he had provided.

After wrapping the towel around herself, she slowly walked over to the black lump of cloth that Gajeel had handed her, a bit nervous of what she would find when she unrolled it. She picked it up slowly and let the fabric fall free. Once it did, she gasped and her face once again turned beet red. It was one of his shirts. Dropping the shirt, she put her hands up to her cheeks, trying to calm the fierce blush.

She wasn't sure why the thought of wearing one of his t-shirts embarrassed her so much. Just the thought of a shirt that had touched his bear skin touching her bear skin...

She squealed again and covered her eyes. Her squeal must have been louder this time because she suddenly heard the thumping of footsteps and then Gajeel's fist banging on the bathroom door.

"Oi!" he shouted through the closed door. "Are you okay in there Shrimp? I thought I heard something."

Her hands immediately dropped to the towel covering her naked body. "I-I'm fine!" she stammered. "Don't come in!"

The only reply was a soft grunt and a soft thumping as the footsteps moved back to the main room. She quickly pulled on the underwear she had been wearing, which were thankfully, only a little damp. And then pulled the black muscle shirt over her head. It was incredibly baggy, just as she had expected, hanging almost all the way down to her knees. The sleeves were also a little large, but luckily not large enough that someone could see anything important. She let her hands run over the hem of the shirt. It was so soft, and it smelled like him. Vaguely woodsy with a stronger hint of iron.

She shook her head, breaking herself out of her train of thought and quickly grabbed her still sopping dress off the floor and hung it on the edge of the tub to dry.

She walked slowly back out into the main room, her hands tugging at the hem of the shirt as she walked, trying to pull it down as far as possible.

When she walked out into the main room, she saw Gajeel stretched out on the beat up old couch, his feet hanging off one end and his head hanging off the other. When he didn't seem to notice her presence in the room, she quietly cleared her throat and his eyes snapped open, staring at her from his awkward, upside-down position.

"I'm done if you wanted to take a shower," she said quietly, a soft blush staining her cheeks.

He moved out of his uncomfortable looking position and stretched before answering. "Nah," he said gruffly, his eyes slowing traveling up and down her small body, trying hard not to full on stare at her. "I'm beat. It doesn't look like the rain is going to slow down anytime soon so you'll have to stay here for the night. You go ahead and take the bed. I can crash on the sofa."

She started at this act of gallantry. She wouldn't have expected Gajeel to so easily give up his bed for her. Then remembering his position on the sofa just moments before, she quickly shook her head. "It's okay," she said smiling. "I can take the sofa. I would fit better anyways," she ended with a giggle.

He growled softly at her. "No way," he said. "There's no way I'm making you sleep out here on this ratty old sofa. I'll sleep here. It's no big deal. I've had worse."

She thought for a moment, studying the stubborn set of his mouth and reaching the conclusion that it would be morning before they came to agreement on sleeping arrangements. "Fine," she sighed. "How about this? We can both sleep in the bed. You can just sleep on top of the covers while I sleep under them." Her face began glowing hot as she made her suggestion, her eyes trailing away from him and ending up on the floor.

After a few moments of silence, she slowly turned her eyes back towards the dragon slayer. She couldn't be sure in the dim evening light, but she could swear she saw a slight blush on his face.

"Fine," he finally grumbled, turning his face away from her. "Whatever," and he stormed into the bedroom.

She quickly followed him into the bedroom, every muscle in her body humming in excitement and embarrassment. He was shuffling around in his closet when she entered, so she decided that now would be as good a time as any to climb into bed. She turned to look at the huge bed that took up most of the space. It looked so soft and comfortable, she stifled a yawn and quickly climbed under the covers, pulling them up to her chin.

They were thick and warm and smelled once again of Gajeel, crushed leaves and iron. She breathed in deeply and snuggle farther under the covers. Then Gajeel was on the other side of the bed, a tattered blanket in his hands. He tossed the blanket onto the empty side of the bed and reached down to grab the hem of his shirt.

Levy squeaked and covered her eyes. "Wh-what are you doing?!" she stammered.

She peaked through her fingers and saw a puzzled look on Gajeel's face. "Takin' ma shirt off," he said simply. "You don't really expect me to sleep in a wet shirt do you?"

She mulled over his answer for a moment before slowly moving her hands away from her eyes and mumbling, "I guess not..."

He began once again to pull his shirt over his head and Levy quickly flipped over so that she was facing the other wall. But not before she had gotten a peek of his perfectly toned abs. She blushed once again, bringing the blanket farther up her face.

The edge of the mattress sunk and the springs creaked as Gajeel climbed on top of the covers, flipping the blanket out to cover himself. He stared for a moment at the tiny blue head, half covered by the covers, laying in the bed next to him. Now this was something he was sure as hell never would have happened and yet, here it was, happening.

As Levy felt him settle onto the bed, she managed to choke out, "G-Goodnight Gajeel."

He chuckled quietly. "Gihi. Goodnight Shrimp."


	4. Chapter 4

It must have been about one in the morning when Levy was suddenly jerked from her deep sleep as the bed bucked and trembled beneath her. She shot up in bed, immediately alert, thinking that the shaking was caused by an earthquake. What she saw after her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room shocked and scared her more than any earthquake could have.

Gajeel still lay next to her in bed, but his face was twisted in agony and his forehead gleamed with sweat. His body twitched and jerked beside her, his fists tightly clenching and unclenching as he growled in his sleep.

Levy sat there frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do and frighten out of her wits. Gajeel, the strongest and bravest man she had ever met, was...having a nightmare. She couldn't stand seeing him this way. Her heart twisted and felt as if it were about to break every time he growled or flashed about.

Not knowing what else to do, she began to slowly reach out her hand to touch his shoulder to try and wake him. Her fingers were centimeters from his skin when his eyes suddenly snapped open and he bolted upright, his hand shooting out and taking a painful hold on her wrist.

She gasped and fell back as far as the iron grip on her arm would allow her. He just sat there for a moment staring at her, a look of panic on his face, still encompassed by his dream world. When he finally began to emerge from his dream, the first thing he saw was the small, angel-like face of Levy, her face distorted in fear and tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

It was then that he noticed the crushing grip that he held on her wrist and he quickly dropped it and turned away, swinging his legs off the bed and planting his feet firmly on the floor. He buried his head in his hands and began taking deep breaths, stoically listening to how the small women behind him would react.

At first he heard nothing but her deep, gulping breaths as she tried to calm herself. As her breathing slowed, he heard her shifting slightly on the bed as if she was unsure what to do next. The he felt the bed give way slightly beneath him as she moved closer.

"Gajeel?" she said quietly. "Are you alright?"

The kindness and worry in her voice only made him more angry and ashamed and he buried his fingers deeper in his hair.

Levy saw his whole body tense up, and she moved closer, reaching a hand out towards his bare back. "Gajeel?" she said again.

He felt the warmth of her hand slowly approaching his back and he stood swiftly, causing her to jerk back in surprise.

"Fine," he growled through clenched teeth. "I'm gonna crash on the couch."

"Wait," Levy exclaimed, kneeling on all fours on the bed and reaching out to him. "Why are you leaving?"

He said nothing, just stopped in the doorway, his fists clenched and his body still slightly trembling from the affects of the dream. He heard the springs of the bed creak and the pitter-patter of her bare feet on the floor as she came to stand behind him.

"Gajeel," she said again, trying to lean far enough around him to see his face. "If you're leaving because of how I reacted, please don't. You didn't hurt me. You only startled me a bit."

He growled and whipped around to face her. "But that's just it Levy!" He practically shouted at her. "I may not have hurt you tonight, but I have hurt you. And if you keep hangin' around me I'm only goin' to end up hurtin' you again." he looked towards the floor, his eyes falling into shadow underneath his pronounced brow and waterfall of dark hair.

Levy just stood there for a moment. Then she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, her head leaning against his bare chest. "But you see," she said, turning her face up to smile at him. "That's just it Gajeel. I know you wouldn't hurt me. I'm not afraid."

He simply stared at her for a moment, not sure how to react. This woman. This beautiful, intelligent, funny, amazing angel of a woman who he had hurt so badly in the past wasn't scared of him. In fact, she had not only forgiven him, she trusted him whole-heartedly despite what he had done to her.

He couldn't help it, though he would normally never show weakness to anyone, this tiny beauty of a girl had the ability to pull emotions from him that he wasn't sure he was even capable of expressing. He didn't care, tears welled up in his eyes and he grabbed up the small, blue-haired mage and held her tightly to his chest, burying his face in her neck.

"I'm sorry Levy," he choked out, squeezing her tightly. "I am so, so sorry."

Levy smiled into the iron dragon slayer's well-muscled chest. She lifted a hand and began stroking his raven hair. "Shh," she said softly, running her fingers through the soft strands. "It's okay Gajeel. It's all going to be okay." As she comforted the man she loved, tears began welling up in her own eyes as she realized that she had finally gotten through to him, her iron dragon slayer.


	5. Chapter 5

Levy awoke the next morning to a weight draped around her waist and a warm breeze rustling her hair. She opened her eyes to see Gajeel's face mere inches from her own, his normally stoic face relaxed in sleep, his piercings glinting in the early morning sunlight.

Levy blushed profusely at their proximity, but did not try to move away. After Gajeel had calmed down last night she had been able to lead him back to bed and get him to lay down next to her. Once she had settled herself, he had wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. She had stiffened slightly and a fierce blush heated her cheeks, but she had not objected. It was immensely comfortable laying there with his arm wrapped around her waist, the heat of his body radiating out towards her and keeping her warm enough that she didn't need a blanket.

She smiled at the memory and slowly snuggled closer, trying not to wake him. She didn't ever want this moment to end. Unfortunately, just a few minutes later Gajeel stirred and groaned as he woke from his deep sleep.

When he open his eyes and saw Levy's beautiful face smiling up at him, he couldn't help but smile back with the biggest, goofiest grin he had ever given anyone.

"Mornin' shrimp," he said fondly as he ruffled her hair.

"Good morning Gajeel," she said with a smile as she tried to comb her hair back into place with her fingers, not moving from her spot by his side.

This entire scene seemed perfectly normal, like they had been waking up next to each other every day for years. In the awkward silence that followed however, with the two Fairy Tail mages shifting uneasily, not sure what to say to each other next, reality came crashing back down around them.

The silence stretched on, finally broken by Gajeel as he stretched, removing his arm from Levy's waist causing her face to fall slightly in disappointment. He sat up, scratched the back of his head awkwardly and mumbled, "I'm gonna go shower."

Levy nodded, even though he was halfway to the bathroom door already and, as the door closed behind him, fell back onto the bed, her arm flung over her eyes. She sighed and tried to keep the memory of Gajeel's warm arm around her waist alive as long as possible.

She laid there while the water ran in the next room, a blush heating her cheeks and her heart racing. Gajeel was in the next room. _Naked_. She shook her head roughly and slapped her hands to her cheeks. She should _not_ be thinking about that. She closed her eyes once more and tried to think of something, anything, but the iron dragon slayer just beyond the door.

Time got away from her and before she knew it the door to the bathroom was opening, and out came Gajeel wearing nothing but his usual pair of khaki pants and ruffling his hair dry with a towel.

"Oi!" he said in his usual gruff voice. "Are you gonna get up today shorty?"

She squeaked in embarrassment and nodded, putting out her right hand to push herself up before falling back with a cry of pain. Gajeel was at her side in an instant, his eyes scanning her body, trying to find the source of her pain.

"What is it?" he asked frantically. "What happened shrimp?"

She sat up slowly, careful not to put any weight on her right arm. "It's nothing," she said with a wince. "My wrist is just a little sore is all."

He narrowed his eyes at her and reached out to grab her right arm, bringing it around her body so he could see it. What he saw there made his eyes widen and his heart tighten in his chest. Her wrist was not the beautiful shade of ivory that it normally was, but instead and ugly smattering of black and blue. He lowered his head and released her arm, slumping onto the bed in disgrace.

"I did this to you," he whispered softly.

"Gajeel," Levy said softly after a moment of silence, reaching out towards him.

He shot up off the bed before she could touch him and shouted, "I did that to you!" his eyes were wild, full of pain and disgust directed at himself. "I hurt you again Levy! I hurt you!" His energy suddenly spent, he stumbled backward and leaned against the wall. "I did that to you..." he said more quietly.

He stood there, staring at the floor, disgust and self-loathing bubbling inside him. After a few moments, he heard the bed springs creak as Levy climbed off the bed and padded across the room to him.

"Gajeel?"Levy said quietly, bending over to meet his eyes beneath his raven hair. "Gajeel," she said, her deep brown eyes locking with his red ones. "I'm fine, really. It's just a bruise."

Gajeel only growled in reply and averted his gaze. Levy huffed in annoyance and placed both hands on either side of his face and turned his head so that he was looking at her once more. A slight blush colored his cheeks and his eyes were slightly widened in shock. He had not been expecting her to be so forceful.

"I'm not hurt Gajeel," she said slowly, pronouncing each syllable. "It's just a bruise. No big deal. And besides that," she said with a small, slightly sad smile. "It was an accident."

Gajeel stared at her a moment longer before averting his eyes and gently removing her right hand from his cheek. He brought her bruised wrist to his lips and kissed it softly.

Taken by surprise, Levy's face turned beet red and her muscles stiffened, unsure of what to do. She needn't have worried, for a moment later Gajeel dropped her wrist and scooted around her, heading into the bathroom.

As he closed the door behind him, Levy sat on the edge of the bed once more, her face hot and her heart racing. She wasn't sure, but she could have sworn she saw a slight blush on his face before he had walked away...

About an hour later, the unlikely couple headed out to the guild, stopping first by Levy's apartment in Fairy Hills so that she could change out of her dirty, stiff clothes from the day before. Levy had insisted that he didn't have to accompany her to the dorms since they were so far out of the way, but he merely shoved his hands in his pockets grumbling something about making sure she got there safe, and continued walking, forcing Levy to scurry along behind him.

They walked on in an awkward silence all the way to the guild, Gajeel slumping along in front with his hands in his pockets and Levy trailing a couple steps behind.

As they reached the guild, they could already hear the clamor coming from inside signaling that this day was just the same as any other day despite what had happened the night before. They pushed opened the heavy oak doors and entered the rambunctious guild, only noticed by a few that were not involved in the brawl going on in the middle of the room.

The two glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes before parting ways, Gajeel heading towards the bar where Pantherlily sat with a box of kiwi juice, Levy going over to where Lucy sat with pen in her hand and a thoughtful look on her face.


End file.
